Current Series
3 game series vs Phillies @ Minute Maid Park
Philadelphia Phillies Friday, Apr 9, 2010, 7:05 PM CDT J.A. Happ vs Bud Norris Partly cloudy. Winds blowing out to left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 70. Complete Coverage > | ||
| Sat 04/10 | 6:05 PM CDT | |
| Sun 04/11 | 1:05 PM CDT | |
The Astros will look to put the past behind them this weekend, as they host the Philadelphia Phillies in a three game series. They'll also be going back in time with a Retro Night on Saturday, with both teams wearing uniforms from the 1965 season, the first 10,000 fans getting Colt .45 jerseys and the groundscrew and ushers wearing throwback uniforms. On Sunday, the offenses may roll back to the 1960's as well as Roy Halladay faces off against Roy Oswalt.
The Phillies will come to town after taking two of three from the Washington Nationals. Free agent third baseman Placido Polanco leads the team in hits after the first series, going 7 for 14 with two doubles and a home run. He wasn't alone in having a good offensive series, as all but two of the Phillies regulars hit over .300 against Washington. The two holdouts? Shane Victorino, who is 2 for 13, and Raul Ibanez, who is 1 for 11.
The Astros will face J.A. Happ on Friday night. The 27-year old was second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2009 after going 12-4 with an xFIP of 4.49. His BABiP of .270 means his ERA of 2.49 was actually more a product of luck and good defense. On Saturday, the Astros will face 47-year old Jamie Moyer, who started 25 games last season with an xFIP of 4.74 and a BABiP of .292. The Astros will send a pair of rookies to the hill against the two, with Bud Norris starting on Friday night and Felipe Paulino starting on Saturday.
The Paulino start was a little unexpected, since the off-day Thursday meant the Astros could have started Oswalt on four-days rest instead. However, that would have meant Paulino would not have gotten a start until next weekend. Since the Astros view Paulino as more than a fifth starter long-term, they chose to get him work earlier in the season.
The Phillies bullpen is backed up by closer Ryan Madsen, who is in that role because former Astro Brad Lidge is on the disabled list following offseason shoulder surgery. The rest of the 'pen is a mix of veterans, with Jose Contreras, Danys Baez, Chad Durbin and Nelson Figueroa, joined by two younger players in 25-year old Kenneth Herndon and 24-year old Antonio Bastardo. Both are rookies, though Bastardo did pitch 23 innings in the big leagues in 2009 while Herndon made his first MLB appearance against Washington.
